The US wants to recognize the war against Ukraine as genocide/”Censor.NET”
Russian invaders commit real atrocities in Ukraine, and after the liberation of the Kiev region from the Russians, the whole world saw them. The United States plans to recognize the war against Ukraine as genocide.
This is stated in a resolution submitted on June 24 by a bipartisan group of American lawmakers. Despite the fact that it has no legal force, the document confirms that the US Congress supports Ukraine in its struggle against the invaders.
The US wants to recognize the war in Ukraine as genocide
The draft resolution states that the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine meet the criteria set out in Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In particular, the occupiers:
- commit indiscriminate attacks on civilians,
- fire at maternity hospitals and medical institutions,
- force take out hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to Russia and temporarily occupied territories.
Legislators typically use Congressional resolutions to express the tough sentiments of members of the House of Representatives or the Senate. Although the document has no legal force, it sends a strong signal of condemnation of Russia's actions and points to the efforts of members of Congress to provide ongoing support to Ukraine, in addition to military assistance.
Biden himself spoke about the genocide
Biden himself
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In April, US President Joseph Biden characterized Russia's atrocities in Ukraine as an act of genocide.
We will let the lawyers decide internationally whether this is adequate, but I it seems so,” the President emphasized.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also echoed Biden's remarks. At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz refused to use the term, highlighting the longstanding debate in the international community as to what exactly constitutes genocide.
Pay attention!As a crime, genocide is different from other mass atrocities. Since 1989, the UN Convention has defined it as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.”
In total, the US State Department has recognized 8 genocides. The most recent of these were attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Years of evidence gathering and analysis can be required to define genocide in the US. According to officials from the Biden administration, the president's remarks are not an official change in US policy.
Congressmen believe that the Russians deliberately committed atrocities in Ukraine
Congressmen, arguing in the resolution that the events in Ukraine could be genocide, point to statements that undermine the state sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine. They were carried out by Russian state media and officials, in particular, the president of the aggressor country, Vladimir Putin himself.
The Congressional resolution states that the Russians committed atrocities for specific purposes. At the same time, it can be difficult to legally prove that crimes were committed precisely with the intent of genocide.
It is expected that the resolution will be presented by Democratic MP Steve Cohen. The project is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives who are members of the Helsinki Commission, whose task is to promote human rights and security in Europe.
In April, the commission also asked the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to to approve the declaration adopted by the Ukrainian parliament, qualifying Russia's actions as genocide and calling on the assembly to adopt a similar resolution.
